One piece is still good, the only problem is you guys grew up and one piece is still manga for same age demography as it was before and IT SHOULD BE. I like one piece and I enjoy it. Oda shouldnt change his writing style just because you guys grew up lmao. Luffy was always a chosen one it was as clear as day. Luffy in a way he is" is the main reason one piece has sustained till now. If you think a matured wouldnt like onepiece then you are absolutely correct because one piece is manga to be read by "childish" guys not "matured".
Current Events This is becoming too bullshit writing at this point
I'm not talking about plot consequences.
I'm talking about actual consequences (major injuries, deaths) to known characters. Impel Down and Marineford were a joke in that regard.
About 90% of OP readers are 18+ (survey was done in Japan a few years ago).
Younger guys read other manga series.
Over 90% of OP readers are adults nowadays, which several surveys have shown. That's why there is more and more complaining btw. The audience has matured and grown-up (younger guys read sth else), while Oda still continues to write OP for a target-group, which simply isn't there anymore.
I'm talking about actual consequences (major injuries, deaths) to known characters. Impel Down and Marineford were a joke in that regard.
About 90% of OP readers are 18+ (survey was done in Japan a few years ago).
Younger guys read other manga series.
Over 90% of OP readers are adults nowadays, which several surveys have shown. That's why there is more and more complaining btw. The audience has matured and grown-up (younger guys read sth else), while Oda still continues to write OP for a target-group, which simply isn't there anymore.
"Well I'm not gay". Amazing, smart way to start.
I will be quick here. There are three stages on developing an adult criterion. First, teens think of themselves as grown ups and get obsessed with edgy, half-assed works they feel to be "deep", "mature", "dark", etc. Then comes immature adults, who aren't anything but post-teens that resignify their pretentious tastes as what non-childish things are supposed to be (usually overrating anything that feels rebelious, politic and warfare, funnily enough considering what you said). And finally you have the proper adults with a properly mature understanding of thigns whose judgement is wide enough to appreciate works in their context. What truly defines not being childish in mentality isn't reacting against "gay", "cringe" stuff while embracing cheap politics, revolutions, wars... carried by an unidimensional character who hasn't even appeared in a whole chapter if we put together all his panels; but being capable of appreciating the quality of something according to its own terms.
One Piece wouldn't be much better and potentially goated if it was like you described. It would be pretentious, edgy crap losing almost everything that actually defines it as a piece of work. From day one this was about a character designed after a little kid seeking a fantasy dream and laughing at everything. A story about Laugh Tale, about Joy Boy, about a main character born in Children's Day, about a clan dying with a smile. And while it isn't perfect, and criticism is legit, what you are doing is asking for the moon because you probably don't even like what One Piece is as a whole piece of work but whatever isolated part of it you want to see developed in a way that doesn't fit the rest of this manga at all.
Your version of One Piece would be a mess without personality, without a thematic thread and without anything that actually makes this story the way it is. It is okay for it to be childish and we should criticize it in the context of being better or worse at it because that's its foundation and it would never work as whatever pseudo-mature "seinen" for nihilist teens you'd want it to become since it would mean losing said foundation.
This isn't Kingdom, this doesn't need to be similar Kingdom and this can't work if similar to Kingdom without stopping being One Piece.
I will be quick here. There are three stages on developing an adult criterion. First, teens think of themselves as grown ups and get obsessed with edgy, half-assed works they feel to be "deep", "mature", "dark", etc. Then comes immature adults, who aren't anything but post-teens that resignify their pretentious tastes as what non-childish things are supposed to be (usually overrating anything that feels rebelious, politic and warfare, funnily enough considering what you said). And finally you have the proper adults with a properly mature understanding of thigns whose judgement is wide enough to appreciate works in their context. What truly defines not being childish in mentality isn't reacting against "gay", "cringe" stuff while embracing cheap politics, revolutions, wars... carried by an unidimensional character who hasn't even appeared in a whole chapter if we put together all his panels; but being capable of appreciating the quality of something according to its own terms.
One Piece wouldn't be much better and potentially goated if it was like you described. It would be pretentious, edgy crap losing almost everything that actually defines it as a piece of work. From day one this was about a character designed after a little kid seeking a fantasy dream and laughing at everything. A story about Laugh Tale, about Joy Boy, about a main character born in Children's Day, about a clan dying with a smile. And while it isn't perfect, and criticism is legit, what you are doing is asking for the moon because you probably don't even like what One Piece is as a whole piece of work but whatever isolated part of it you want to see developed in a way that doesn't fit the rest of this manga at all.
Your version of One Piece would be a mess without personality, without a thematic thread and without anything that actually makes this story the way it is. It is okay for it to be childish and we should criticize it in the context of being better or worse at it because that's its foundation and it would never work as whatever pseudo-mature "seinen" for nihilist teens you'd want it to become since it would mean losing said foundation.
This isn't Kingdom, this doesn't need to be similar Kingdom and this can't work if similar to Kingdom without stopping being One Piece.
This is the problem One Piece is dealing with for me. The manga has been around for 20 years. The people that started with the manga are at least in their late 20s and thirties now. I get that it should be geared towards a younger demo, but that thinking would make more sense 10-15 years ago. Its not to much to ask for One Piece to have storytelling geared towards your aging fans.
tbh OP is better than Naruto/Bleach not because the 2 had bad endings, but the overall writing of the 2 shows were bad, like Naruto's entire plot changed from Naruto's dream to chasing his emo friend who has insane plot armor, and killing characters for no reason then making a technique to compensate lol, then chakra became unlimited for some reason lmao. Like no matter how Oda fucks up the series it will never be as bad as Naruto.
longer series = declining quality
just look at few example
FT
nanatsu no taizai
AOT
Naruto/boruto
bleach
hell.even promised neverland have quality drop after the lamb children out from orphanage
now i agree that oda should rise his story to match his aging reader but .... what story that good for aging demographic ? becasuse changing shonen to seinen is not a solution ...
just look at few example
FT
nanatsu no taizai
AOT
Naruto/boruto
bleach
hell.even promised neverland have quality drop after the lamb children out from orphanage
now i agree that oda should rise his story to match his aging reader but .... what story that good for aging demographic ? becasuse changing shonen to seinen is not a solution ...
if the problem is we are too old for one piece then we would not like the old arcs if we read them again. but anyone can read the old arcs and see they are still great. the problem is not age or generation, one piece is objectively worse now.
if you read old arcs you can feel oda was having fun telling that story but he is not having fun anymore. the manga is too long and he wants to get free of it but the more he struggles the more he drowns like quicksand.
if you read old arcs you can feel oda was having fun telling that story but he is not having fun anymore. the manga is too long and he wants to get free of it but the more he struggles the more he drowns like quicksand.